448

Efficacy

of P

Communication

Skills Zaharatul

Akmar

Ahmad

Zainuddin

and Suzanah

Selamat

(Universiti Teknologi

MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia)

Abstract

Every year polytechnics in Malaysia produce thousands of graduates in vocational areas,

however, these graduates have to strive in a competitive job market against graduates from

other tertiary institutions. This study aims to investigate polytechnic students efficacy on

their communication skills. These skills are crucial in determining their chances for

employment and would also enable them to perform effectively at workplace. Final semester

students from Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah (n=120) were asked to assess

their own communication skills ability using the Communication Skills self-assessment

questionnaire. Findings indicate that polytechnic students are quite confident in their ability to

communicate effectively at workplace and job interviews. However, interviews with potential

employers indicate differently. Implications of the study include a call for the evaluation of

the English proficiency courses currently being implemented in Malaysian polytechnics.

Introduction

Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another. It is an important

and basic skill that polytechnic students have to build in order to make them marketable once

they complete their studies. Having good communication skills will help the students to

secure a job, build a good relationship with people they come in contact with in their working

lives and it is also vital to their career development. Therefore, students need to be taught

how to communicate effectively in a work environment especially, related to their areas. They

need to convey good communication skills that are also related to their technical knowledge.

Therefore, these students will be able to excel in their studies and future career. Mehta &

Mehta (2007) argue that to be successful in any field one needs to know and understand how

to communicate effectively. According to them, professionals who have a strong hold on

communication skills are considered assets for any business organization. In the

Globalization era, good communication skills are keys to career success.

doi:10.7575/aiac.alls.v.3n.2p.76

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However, a great deal of communication is of the non-verbal form as opposed to the oral and

written forms. This type of communication includes facial expressions, eye contact, tone of

voice, body posture and motions, and positioning within groups.

A study by Porter (2000) reports that employers argue that college students conducting job

search processes do not possess the skills they seek including oral communication skills.

Employers believe that students lack the basic skills of speaking and listening (Porter, 2000).

It seems that there is a clear mismatch between the communication skills that employers seek

and the communication skills that students offer. Hence, this study is carried out to determine

whether engineering students in Malaysian polytechnics possess interpersonal communication

skills in order to function effectively at the work place.

Role and importance of English language for polytechnic students

The Malaysian education system aims to produce students who have excellent

communication skills, and are competent in languages, especially English. Although the

national language is Bahasa Melayu, English is established as its second language and is

regarded highly as it is the language of trade and used in most business dealings. In Malaysia,

all students are required to learn English in primary and secondary schools. Hence, Malaysian

students would have received 11 years of formal learning of the language. Students are

expected to be competent in the language once they finish their formal schooling as most

institutions of higher learning use English as their language of instruction. This competency

should give them an edge in a competitive job market.

Polytechnic education in Malaysia was introduced in 1969 with the vision to produce semi-

professionals in technical, commerce and hospitality areas

growing industries. This system allows an alternative route for the students who face

difficulty in pursuing the normal school streams. With the increase of multinational

companies setting their practices in Malaysia, polytechnics are required to produce graduates

who are able to communicate effectively in English. Therefore, all polytechnic students are

required to undergo six semesters of English programmes as well as one semester of practical

training at the selected company to gain exposure in the working environment. Other than

these programmes, the students are also required to take a soft skills class in their third

semester before they undergo their practical training. With the amount of formal learning of 77

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the English language and the soft skills class that students have taken, it is expected that these

students would be able to express themselves effectively once they have graduated. These

programmes are supposed to help them secure employment easily. However, in reality,

graduates are finding it difficult to communicate during job interviews and when they are

lucky enough to secure a job they are unable to advance themselves due to a lack of

communication skills.

Need for communication skills for engineering professionals

Engineering students require communication skills to enhance their technological knowledge

and thereby excel in their career (Srigayathridevi & Thamaraiselvi, 2006). According to

Mehta & Mehta (2007), graduate engineers do not have good communication skills and fail

miserably to fulfill the basic requirements of organizations. This is true of polytechnic

their concerns that these graduates have great difficulties in communicating effectively at

work despite having excellent technical knowledge in their areas. This problem is especially

evident in students taking engineering courses in Malaysian polytechnics.

Scholars have tried to describe the necessary components of engineering education in

colleges to include not just technical knowledge but also take into consideration skills that

these graduates would be required to use at their workplace. Mehta & Mehta (2007) point out

that engineering professionals need communication skills for the following reasons: (pp. 3-4)

1. To express and share their experience, knowledge, ideas and thoughts in an effective

manner for the common benefit of the society.

2. To aspire to a bright academic career growth.

3. To secure a higher level of position in the related jobs.

4. To attain timely promotion and other benefits at their work place.

5. To lead the team from the front.

6. To develop a very healthy working environment and interpersonal communication

skills.

7. To harness understanding and create harmony.

8. To pursue advanced or higher level of studies.

9. To work in a globalized and multilingual culture.

10. To sharpen presentation, writing, negotiation, intrapersonal skills etc.

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Meanwhile, Rugarcia, Felder, Woods and Stice (2000) argue that the profile of engineering

education should be categorised into three components: (1) their knowledge - the facts they

know and concepts they understand; (2) the skills - they use in managing and applying their

knowledge, such as computation, experimentation, analysis, synthesis/design, evaluation,

communication, leadership, and teamwork; (3) the attitudes that dictate the goals toward

which their skills and knowledge will be directed - personal values, concerns, preferences and

biases (p. 20).

A study by Seat (1999) highlights the fact that engineering students need to learn teaming and

interacting skills as part of their education. This includes soft skills and group interaction to

be discussed frequently in classrooms in terms of learning styles, improved learning in

groups, socialization for working with others, and interpersonal skills.

Research objectives and questions

The study aims to investigate

communication skills at the workplace and their level of awareness in terms of workplace

etiquette, paralanguage and conversation skills.

The study aims to answer these questions:

a.

skills at the workplace?

b. What is the level of stu

and conversation skills?

Methodology

Instrument

A questionnaire adapted from the Interpersonal Communication Skills Inventory (Learning

on Interpersonal

Communication Skills. The questionnaire is designed to help the students to evaluate their

interpersonal communication skills and style while at the same time provide helpful tips in

becoming a good communicator and team player.

The questionnaire comprises of 23 questions divided into 3 components: workplace etiquette,

paralanguage and conversation skills. Krizan, Logan & Merrier (2007) argued that these

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i. Workplace etiquette

Work et

to work dealings such as how you come across as an individual, how you relate to

others both within your own organisation and externally and how you make use of

the tools with wh

eiquette is not fixed or rigid, people who are new in an office or workplace may find

it difficult to understand. Other than this, different workplaces differ when it comes

to what is considered acceptable behaviour and conduct and the formality of

etiquette also varies between companies.

ii. Paralanguage

).

Paralanguage is important in communication because without it, it is difficult for

words to convey their intended meaning.

iii. Conversation skills

highlight the importance of conversation as a

valuable business tool since it is essential for good customer service and forms the

foundation for workplace interactions among employees.

Each question was followed by three answers, one of which was the best answer. The best

answer was awarded three points while other answers were given one point.

and views regarding polytechnic students

performance at the workplace, data from Industrial Dialogue 2008 were also referred to in

this study. Industry Dialogue 2008 was organized by the Department of Polytechnic and

Community College Education (DPCCE), Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE). The

objectives of this dialogue were to promote and strengthen industry-education collaboration

community colleges can fulfil those needs for the national as well as the international market.

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Participants

The questionnaires were distributed to final semester students undergoing Diploma in

Engineering at Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah. Out of 120 questionnaires

distributed, only 90 were completed and analysed.

Results and analysis

Data from the questionnaire were analysed using the SPSS version 17.0. Based on the

descriptive analyses the following results were found:

attitudes regarding interpersonal communication skills at the workplace:

No. Items %

i. equalize participation in the conversation with others. 46 ii. introduce themselves with a smile and offer a handshake. 69

iii. warm-up new conversations with small talks. 53 iv. 61 v. frequently use courtesy words and phrases. 72

vi. do not say anything if a colleague has put on weight. 28 vii. smile at appropriate times while conversing. 64

viii. make eye contact while conversing. 52 ix. nod head at appropriate times while conversing. 56 x. stand two to three feet away from the person while conversing . 44

xi. sit while talking to a person who is sitting. 67 xii. lean slightly forward and face body towards speaker while listening to them. 53

xiii. cross legs facing speaker. 32 xiv. smile and use humor at appropriates times. 66 xv. wrap-up with a closing statement to end the conversation 47

xvi. listen for meaning and ask questions while listening to speakers. 57 xvii. relate to a person's feelings and show sensitivity to his or her misfortune when someone

talks about an unfortunate or sad experience. 52

xviii. talk about and focus on positive (good) aspects when discussing a topic. 76 xix. lead-in with a positive comment first when they have a negative opinion or comment. 63 xx. take note where to improve when they receive unfavorable feedback. 79

xxi. focus on a person's observable work or behavior and offer suggestions when giving a negative feedback.

40

xxii. talk with a person alone in a private place when giving a negative feedback. 70 xxiii. listen first, ask questions for clarification, then disagree non-judgmentally when they

disagree with a person 60

Overall, the results show that, participants have achieved high scores on their knowledge

regarding interpersonal communication at the workplace. Items regarding giving and

receiving feedback have high scores , i.e. frequently use courtesy words and phrases (72%),

talk about and focus on positive (good) aspects when discussing a topic (76%), take note 81

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where to improve when they receive unfavorable feedback (79%) and talk with a person

alone in a private place when giving a negative feedback (70%).

On the other hand, not say anything if a colleague has put on weight (28%) and crossing legs

facing speaker (32%) have the lowest scores. Perhaps, this is due to cultural differences and

permissible act in the west but not in the east.

etiquette.

The results show that participants have a mixed level of awareness of workplace etiquette.

This could be

because polytechnics students are given training on how to attend and perform at an interview

as part of their course requirements.

However, participants were not aware that they should say anything if a colleague has put on

weight (28%). This is probably due to the fact that discussions r

Figure 1: Etiquette

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Figure 2 summarises the result of the st

Figure 2: Paralanguage

Figure 2: Level of awareness towards paralanguage

Overall, the participants scored moderately on their knowledge of paralanguage at work

place. Items wi

ropriate.

conversation skills.

Figure 3: Conversation Skills

Figure 3: Level of awareness towards conversation skills

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In general the participants are quite knowledgeable on how to handle conversations. Items

wrapping- ). This seems to indicate

that the participants do not know how to end a conversation appropriately. They also do not

negative feedback.

Conclusion and recommendations

From the results above, the students seem to be quite knowledgeable on interpersonal

communication skills and know how to communicate appropriately at the workplace except

for a few situations, i.e. items vi, xiii and xxi. The participants should learn more on the

appropriate etiquette and body language of western culture which is different compared to the

Malaysian culture. Future graduates need to be exposed to other cultures so that they would

be able to socialise and communicate effectively at the workplace.

Even though polytechnic students are briefed on how to attend job interviews, employers

comment that the students do not know how to apply this knowledge during actual interviews.

This also happens when they communicate with their superiors and colleagues. It is

concluded that there is a mismatch of the efficacy of communication skills between

polytechnic students and potential employers. Hence, some changes in the way that

engineering students in polytechnics are trained should be reviewed.

ation skills can be developed by rigorous training programmes and a lot of

science subjects into engineering syllabus which will promote both oral and written

communication skills. This is also supported by Woods et al., (2000) who suggest that the

development of any skill is best facilitated by giving students practice and not by simply

talking about or demonstrating what to do.

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Hence, Malaysian polytechnics should conduct a review of their English language teaching

practices as well as syllabus. It is suggested that the English language classes should

incorporate the following changes:

i. more real life communication practices

ii. more emphasis on English for Occupational Purposes (EOP)

iii. assessment for English language must reflect the above policy

It is also suggested that the co-curriculum activities of polytechnic students should be

that polytechnic students will also gain greater experience and personal development while

achieving technical knowledge at the institutions.

Results of this study show that polytechnic students are aware of the importance of

interpersonal communication skills for their future career. However, they do not seem to take

any initiative to improve their knowledge in this area. This is probably due to the fact that

This is supported

by a study carried out by Ambigapathy & Aniswal (2005) which state that in general,

to Ambigapathy & Aniswal (2005) university students remain passive learners, accepting

what is given without any question. Opportunity for students to interact, debate and discuss is

further reduced with the increasing number of students in each class. These learning activities

are essential to develop communicative, collaborative and critical thinking skills.

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employment. National Higher Education Research Institute, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Interpersonal Communication Skills Inventory (Learning Dynamics, 2002)

http:www.nal.usda.gov/wicworks/Sharing_Center/CT/csmodule/Inventory.pdf. Krizan, A. C., Logan, J. & Merrier, P. (2007). Bussiness Communication. South Western Pub. Mehta, D. & Mehta, N. K. (2007). Communication skill for Engineering profesionals. Adit Journal., 4, 1, pg. 89-

95. Porter, R. (2000). Levels of effectiveness of communication skills used by college students during the job search

process. (Unpublished Masters of Arts in Education Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University).

Rugarcia, A.,. Felder, R. M., Woods, D.R. & Stice, J. E. (2000). The future of Engineering education I. A vision for a new century. Chemical Engineering. Education, 34(1), 16 25 .

Seat, E. & Lord, S. M. (1999). Enabling effective Engineering teams: A program for teaching interaction skills. Journal of Engineering Education, 1, 1, pg. 1-6 .

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students in an autonomous Engineering college in Coimbatore, India: An Evaluation. The Journal of Nepalese Business Studies, 3. 1. Pg. 114-119.

The Department of Polytechnics and Community College Education, M. O. (2008). Industrial Dialogue 2008. Woods, D. R. Felder, R. M., Rugarcia, A. & Stice, J. E.(2000). The future of Engineering education III.

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